By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (June 22^nd 2021)

Plumbing the Depths

The Fédération Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT) has had more than its share of disgrace. Former President Vincent Onana’s disgrace which led to a brief spell in jail opened the door for the worst rogue ever to run Cameroonian football, the utterly corrupt Iya Mohamed. He ran FECAFOOT for 15 years, but his activities as a Director of cotton giant Sodecoton brought him down along with a 15 year jail term.

Iya and other Sodecoton officials were convicted and jailed by the Tribunal Spécial Criminel, which loosely translates Special Criminal Court, (TSC) . Their representatives announced that would appeal to the Supreme Court. They did so but lost comprehensively in 2017. Christoph Mbiaougam, former Sodecoton official was sentenced to life imprisonment, was sentenced to life imprisonment, lost his appeal but was still at large at that time.

The Sodecoton Scandal

Between 2005-09 their actions were investigated by the regulatory body Contrôle Supérieur de l’État, which translates loosely as the Superior Control (institution) of the State. Clearly, it was a regulatory body whose Financial Disciplinary Council stripped Mohamed of his rights to hold public office for seven years as a result of that report in 2013.

Mohamed came to power in Cameroonian football via a committee, the Provisional Executive Unit, which was established by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) in 1998. It was established due to a ticketing scandal at the World Cup in 1998, which condemned the then President of FECAFOOT, Vincent Onana, who was removed from office and later jailed briefly. The Provisional Executive Unit, which was a precursor of the dreaded Normalisation Committee, appointed Mohamed as Onana’s successor temporarily.

Two years later Mohamed was elected President of FECAFOOT for the first time. He was re-elected in 2005 and again in 2009, although Onana, released from prison and enjoying immunity as a Deputy tried to regain the presidency of FECAFOOT. He failed to unseat Mohamed. In fact, Mohamed was elected again from his jail cell in 2013, because his supporters and the candidates made a total mockery of the process.

The Aftermath of the Sodecoton Scandal

The then First Vice-Prsident John Ndeh was entitled to become interim President and oversee the elections – the same process Iya had used over decade earlier. Instead Iya’s supporters rode roughshod over the procedures and thwarted Ndeh.

Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwana’s informative article ‘Will Cameroon’s Woes Ever End?’ which was published by insideworldfootball.com, highlighted just how murky Cameroonian football politics can get. One candidate, outraged that delegates accepted his bribes but did not vote for him, demanded his money back and enlisted police support to get repaid. He got his money back. The election had descended into farce and that resulted in Iya clinging to power. He was even congratulated by the soon to be disgraced President of FIFA, Joseph ‘Sepp’ Blatter.

Iya’s Presidency quickly ended. It brought Cameroonian football into disrepute that he could contest the Presidency from his jail cell after he obviously had a case to answer. His Vice-President Ndeh was prevented from taking over as Interim President – remember how Iya took power in the first place – and chaos followed. A Normalisation Committee was installed, chaired by Professor Joseph Owona. It organised elections in 2015.
Iya’s General Secretary, Tombi à Roko Sidiki, won the election, becoming the 15^th President of FECAFOOT, but that would not end well either.